A Virginia police officer that threatened Black middle schoolers with the taunt of "wait until your asses turn 18, then you're mine," will undergo remedial training.
The Richmond Police Department launched an internal investigation after a Facebook video went viral two weeks ago. It showed an unnamed white police officer driving his car towards a group of Black middle school students who were walking to an after-school program on March 28. One said "f— the police," In response, the officer then told the group to "man up" and said: "Wait until your asses turn 18, then you're mine," before driving off. The altercation took place outside of Albert Hill Middle School in Richmond.
Tenesha Calloway posted the clip of the incident to Facebook.
"I am disgusted and disappointed but not surprised that a white male officer would make a threat and use that tone or language towards a group of children. My child and her friends have to walk to their after school program and knowing that the police are making idle threats to them is unsettling. I want to know who this officer is and I demand an apology and some form of reprimand to this officer," she captioned the video.
Richmond Police interim chief William C. Smith released a statement last week and apologized to the citizens of Richmond, the students involved and their parents. The offending officer will be reassigned to another area of the city to ensure there is no appearance of bias or retaliation within the community.
Smith added that the officer was a 15 year veteran and only had one complaint prior.
Keisha Curry is the mother of Cameron Hillard who recorded the video. She was not pleased with the way police were handling the matter and felt the officer was not taking full accountability.